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Taylorsville Journal

Looking Back On 2014: A Year Of Growth In Taylorsville

Jan 09, 2015 12:42PM ● By Tom Haraldsen
As the new year begins, it’s a great time to look back on things that happened in the City of Taylorsville during 2014. So, let’s do it:

Revitalization efforts around the Family Center, along Redwood Road and 5400 South, began last spring, when the city issued a request for proposals to consultants for creating a master plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide a visual document for future development of the area. It has become the number one priority for economic development in Taylorsville.

In November, the center officially gained new owners—S-Squared Development of San Diego and Tri-Gate Capitol of Dallas. It also got a new name—The Crossroads of Taylorsville. The new owners set an immediate goal of revitalizing the center and getting new tenants. The center has been almost 50 percent vacant in recent years.

In July, plans were announced that a Chick-fil-A restaurant would be built as the first new addition to the area. Crowds lined up overnight on Oct. 1 to be among the first customers for Chick-fil-A, which opened at 6:30 a.m. the next morning. The first 100 customers received free food for a year. The city also applied for consideration to be the home of the new Salt Lake County Mid-Valley Regional Performing Arts Center. While the county has yet to make a decision about the locale for the center, or its timetable for development, Taylorsville has made an effort to be part of the discussion. An announcement of the county’s plan could come early this year.

A new corporate office center was announced in August. The first of three 106,000-square-foot office buildings, part of the Crescent Corporate Center, will be built at 4255 South 2700 West. The unique and attractive buildings will include  landscaped grounds, parking structures and other amenities. Construction is underway on the first tower, just north of the American Express center. It is set to open midyear.

In December, city officials announced another new development—Erickson Living. To be constructed on former UDOT property on 6200 South between 3200 West and Bangerter Highway, Erickson Living will be a new kind of active senior retirement community. Founder John Erickson has built 18  retirement communities in 10 states: Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. The gated community is projected to have around 1,800 independent living units, three major clubhouse facilities, an on-site medical clinic with full-time doctors and specialists, 300 health care beds and more.

Taylorsville senior citizens also celebrated the 12th birthday of the Taylorsville Senior Center in September, as the center’s remodeling and new addition were feted with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mayor Larry Johnson paid tribute to the remodel, which includes a 2,700-square-foot open recreation room, 800-square-foot game room, remodeled computer and exercise rooms and a refurbished courtyard.

The city also reached out to local schools in 2014. In May,  Johnson worked with Aerogarden to get donated Miracle-Gro indoor gardens at four elementary schools. In all, the city received 18 of these gardens, which allowed students a chance to see firsthand the miracle of plants growing as they are nurtured.

As spring gave way to summer, the city’s parks personnel completed upgrades at Bennion, Millrace, Azure and Labrum Parks, including new playground equipment and picnic facilities. Plans for more improvements are set for this year as well. Summer also meant the annual Taylorsville Dayzz celebration, with the largest crowds ever for the event.

Taylorsville continued to stress its efforts at recycling, to help residents reach the county goal of 20 percent recycled items. Working with the Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District, information on tips for recycling was sent as part of the Taylorsville City Journal to every resident.

A new fire station as part of the Unified Fire Service Area launched Project Kick-Off in November. Fire Station 117 will be at 4965 South Redwood Road. When completed, the new station will house two crews and is long overdue for Taylorsville. UFSA is a  member of the Unified Fire Authority in Salt Lake County.

The Unified Police Department presented awards to a number of personnel who work in Taylorsville. Among those honored in 2014 were Officers Nick Warrick and Nicholas Riggs, Det. Denise Ikemiyashiro, Det. Brett Miller, Det. Scott Lloyd, Officer Trina Chacon, S.W.A.T. members Walden and Marshall, Officer Grant Richardson, Officer Todd Madsen and Officer Bryan Marshall.

Even rain couldn’t dampen the spirit at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Taylorsville Bennion Heritage Center. Both indoor and outdoor displays and activities, in addition to talks and remembrances, added to a great day of celebration.

The city also proudly hosted the Veterans Day Parade and Program in November, with Sen. Orrin Hatch giving the keynote address. Taylorsville has been the host for this event for several years, paying tribute to our military heroes both past and present.

There were several capital improvement projects this past year as well (see separate story for more details). Among them were the new pedestrian bridge at 4500 South, road improvements at 3900 West 5400 South, storm drain projects along four major roadways, and continued development of an open space connection plan to provide regional connectivity for pedestrians through a series of projects.

The year 2014 was a productive year for developments and improvements in Taylorsville City. Now, on to 2015!    
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